A Drop In The Ocean
by prettyinsanity
Summary: AU, AH "All that happened this summer and every summer before has led to this. To now". Elena spends every summer at the Salvatores beach house. To her dismay they've always seen her as a sister, but this year is different. This summer everything changes.


**Hey guys! This is an AU story, based on one of my favourite books 'Summer I Turned Pretty' by Jenny Han (which is super cute and fun and I highly recommend it). **

**This story is mostly all Delena, but you might have to bare through some Stelena in parts. But since my Delena is endgame it'll be all worth it!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing! Just decided to take the greatest TV characters for a spin in a different world! **

**Enjoy :)**

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**CHAPTER 1**

_It's just a drop in the ocean,_

_a change in the weather,_

_I was praying that you and me_

_might end up together_

Elena shifted uncomfortably in the backseat, groaning as her neck rejected the sudden movement. Opening her eyes, she took in her surroundings. Having fallen asleep for what felt like forever, she was surprised to see them still on the road. Leaning forward, she slid her hand through the drivers seat headrest and wacked her brother.

"Drive faster would you? It would be nice to get there before the summers over". She whispered her irritation for the sake of her passed out Aunt in the passenger seat. Other than his trademark eye roll and a slight increase of speed, Jeremy ignored her. Grinning, she turned her attention to the bright world outside her window. They were on their way to Colonial Beach, where their close friends, the Salvatore's, had their beach house. It was a tradition, one that despite the changes the rest of the year brought, never stopped. She'd been going there every year since she was born. It was Elena's whole world. It was a place where she could escape – from school, from friends, from everything. The rest of the year was just a countdown to when she'd return, starting the day they left. Her heart was always in Colonial Beach; in the private stretch of sand and ocean, in the kitchen where she'd spend days cooking everything from mussel soup, to warm chocolate fudge brownies, to the boys. Her boys. Damon and Stefan Salvatore. Damon was the older brother, by 2 years. Everything about him was dark. Dark skin, dark hair, dark smile. Despite him being completely unattainable, her crush on him grew every year. His blue eyes never failed to draw her in, hypnotize her. His smirk made it impossible to look away. She'd find herself staring at his mouth from time to time, wishing she could kiss him. Make him hers. Stefan, on the other hand, was her best friend. He always knew what she was feeling and how to make everything better. He was there for her when everyone wasn't. He was the kind of guy who never got embarrassed. Who knew how to have fun. Sometimes she wished it were Stefan she had feelings for. Everything would be easier. Not that either of them would return her affections anyway. They saw her as a sister, and a sister only.

A large sign, welcoming them to Colonial Beach, caught her eye and she could feel the familiar flutter of excitement in her chest. Rolling down her window, she breathed in the sea air and sighed. It felt good to be back. The past year had been hard. Caroline had finally roped her into joining cheerleading again (she had quit after her parents death), and she forgot how hard it was to juggle between practice, her homework and school. She didn't feel like herself anymore, and by coming here she was hoping she would again.

When we finally pulled up to the large house, Damon and Stefan were sitting out on the front porch. Jeremy honked the horn, and jumped out of the car, running to hug them the way boys do. Jenna got out of the car then too.

"Hey there boys. Where's your mom?" After pulling them both in for a tight hug, Stefan replied, "Upstairs. She's taking a nap". Their mother, Elizabeth, was usually the first one to greet them the second they pulled up. Nodding at Stefan, Jenna smacked Jeremy on the shoulder, who was busy chatting with Damon, and reminded him to bring the bags in. Then she breezed through the front door and up the stairs.

Elena stayed still, watching them from her seat. She was surprised by how much they had grown. Stefan looked about a foot taller, and had developed _a lot_ of muscle. She could see it through his shirt. She knew how hard he had been working to stay on the football team and was proud of him. His hair was lighter too, his old brown curly locks gone and was replaced by a shorter stylish cut. He looked…_good_. Damon was more handsome than ever, if that was even possible. He too looked taller. And much older - he was eighteen now, had just graduated from high school, and after the summer, was off to college. God, she'll miss him.

Grabbing her bag, she ambled out of the car and made her way over to them. They didn't notice her at first, but when they did, they _really_ did. Damon gave her a quick glance over; the way boys did when she was with her cheerleading friends. Stefan did a double take and just stared, wide-eyed. She knew she had gotten pretty - the constant attention from boys confirmed that. But she never, in a million years, would have imagined her boys look at her that way. It made her giddy. Damon hugged her first, but it seemed hesitant, like he didn't want to get too close. It didn't stop her from melting into his embrace. He moved away too soon.

"Hey Elena. Good to see you". Frowning a bit, she raised an eyebrow at him. He wasn't usually this formal - only with the adults. Stefan pulled her in for a big bear hug then, lifting her feet off the ground. Laughing she hugged him back, breathing in his scent. He always smelled good, and she was glad that hadn't changed.

"Hi Stefan", she giggled, her words being muffled by his chest. He lowered her to the ground, and stepped back, keeping his hands on her arms. He shook his head in disbelief.

"Wow Lena, look at you! All grown up!" He teased her with a sly smile. Rolling her eyes, she pushed him away, bending down to pick up her bag and thrust it into his hands.

"You've got muscles now. Use them", she stuck her tongue out at him before turning and heading to the car to get the rest of their luggage. After they unloaded and everyone was inside, she headed for her room. Dropping her bag by the white faded dresser, she took a look around. Unlike everything else, nothing in this room had changed - it was exactly how she left it. Smiling, she turned to her bed and picked up her teddy (a gift from Damon). Cuddling it to her chest, she took a deep breath. She needed to be alone for a while. Seeing Damon again, having him look at her that way… Her heart was pounding.

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_**Aged 11**_

_Jeremy and Stefan had gone to the movies and her parents and Elizabeth were out for dinner, leaving her and Damon home alone. After a successful day of tanning, Elena was sprawled out on the couch, a packet of Twizzlers and a can of coke in her hand. Taking a bite off the tip of a twizzler, she stuck it in her drink and sucked greedily. The fruity, tingling sensation hit her tongue and she smiled. _

"_Lena?" Hearing Damon call out her name from upstairs her heart fluttered in her chest as she was reminded once again that Damon was also in this house. Alone. With her. _

"_I'm downstairs", she shouted. Switching off the TV, she sat up as he came into the room. _

"_Hey, get dressed. We're gonna go down to the pier". It was an understatement to say she was shocked. Being the only girl meant she was always left out when the boys did things, and to be finally included…finally _thought_ about? Elena didn't hesitate in racing up the stairs to change into her favourite shorts and a white top – it showed off her already tan skin. She went to her dresser and applied her lips with gloss, slipping the tube into her pocket - for later. Pulling her long dark hair into a ponytail, she slipped her feet into pink flip-flops on the way out of her room. _

_The short walk into town was a quiet one, but she never felt the need to fill their silence with mindless chatter. She kept sneaking glances at him along the way, and she surprised to see him looking nervous. He kept running his hands through his hair, and rubbing the back of his neck. Damon never got nervous and it was making her uneasy. Hoping to comfort him, she spoke. _

"_I've been craving a churro for days, so could I get one of them before we go on the rides?" He glanced down at her with a small smile and nodded. _

_As promised, when they arrived, he took her straight to the food stall. He bought her churro first, and then a soda for himself, but that was it – usually he ate at least a caramel apple or two. Taking their snacks, they sat at a nearby bench that faced the ocean. She ate carefully, not wanting her face covered in sugar. Damon drank his coke loudly, and then glanced at his watch. "Hurry up and finish. I want to go to the ring toss". _

_She glanced at him in surprise. Did he want to win her a stuffed animal? That's what all the boys did for girls on dates in the movies so she assumed so. Holding back a grin, she wolfed down the rest of her churro and stood up quickly, wiping her hands on her shorts. "Okay, let's go". _

_It was clear the second they walked up to the stall he wasn't interested in her or the game. A brunette girl who looked to be about fourteen was working the booth. She was dressed in tiny high waist black shorts and a white top, knotted at the front, showing off her flat stomach. Her long curly hair was just was beautiful as its owner. As she spotted them, she grinned. Elena scowled. Everything about her was perfect, even her teeth. _

"_Hey guys! Wanna play? Just 5 dollars!" Elena glanced up at Damon, and her stomach dropped when she saw he was staring foolishly at the girl. So Damon had come to the pier for her. He'd just brought Elena so he wouldn't have to come alone. _

_As neither of them had said anything, the girl began to stare at them questionably. Fighting back tears, Elena fished out money from her pocket. Handing it over, the girl's smile appeared again and she turned around to grab some rings. Damon just continued to stare. Swallowing back the lump in her throat, Elena turned to him. _

"_Do you like her", she whispered. Damon looked startled like he'd forgotten she was there. _

"_Her? Uhh I guess?" Forcing a smile, Elena nudged him playfully. _

"_Then say hi. I'm gonna go on the Ferris wheel, so win me a prize okay?" Damon barely glanced at her as he nodded quickly. _

_Elena turned around and walked away as fast as she could so they wouldn't see her start to cry. _

_Later, when Damon caught up with her again on the bench beside the Ferris wheel – she never went on – he told her all about the girl. Her name was Katherine and she was in a grade above him. To apologize for ditching her, Damon handed over a prize he had won. It was a small cute teddy bear, with a red bow wrapped around its neck. She named him Mr. Beary and left him where he belonged, at the summerhouse._

* * *

After Elena finished unpacking, she hurriedly changed into a bikini Caroline had forced her to bring.

"For the boys. Show them what they're missing", she had teased with a wink, tossing it into her suitcase before Elena could object. She had just rolled her eyes and affectionately slapped her friend's hand from putting in anything else.

Now Elena was grateful for Caroline. Might as well _really _show them how much she had grown up. Slipping on a short floral dress on top, Elena skipped down the stairs to the kitchen. Elizabeth, Stefan and Damon's mother was there, cutting up a fruit salad. With a squeal, Elena rushed at her, wrapping her arms around the petite woman's waist. Elizabeth chuckled, enveloping Elena in her arms with a giant smile.

"Hello my lovely girl", she murmured into Elena's hair. After a couple of seconds, she finally look her go, stepping back to look at her from an arm's length. Shaking her head, she looked at Elena in awe.

"Oh honey, look at you. You're so pretty. All grown up. You're going to have an amazing summer. This will be a summer you'll never forget". Elizabeth always spoke in absolutes like that — and when she did, it sounded like a proclamation, like it would come true because she said so. Elena could only hope.

Hearing laughter and shouting from outside, Elena turned her head to see the boys out by the pool. With a smile at Elizabeth, she rushed out to join them. As soon as Stefan saw her, he sprang up from his deck chair. He approached her with a grin that only meant one thing. Stumbling backwards, Elena tried to make a quick escape, but it was too late. Damon and Jeremy had appeared behind her and grabbed both her arms, lifting her and pulling her back towards the pool.

"No! Don't, please!" She tried to beg, but it was no use. Stefan cupped both hands around each side of his mouth.

"Ladies and gentlemen-men-men," he began dramatically, acting like he was some circus ringmaster. "I do believe it is time for our first dunking of the summer."

"Come on guys, I'm too old for this". She shot Damon a pleading look but he just smirked, his hold on her hand tightening.

"You ain't getting out of this one Lena," Jeremy laughed. She glared at her brother, lifting up her leg to kick in his direction. He dodged out of the way, and to her gain, loosened his grip on her hand, allowing her to pull herself free. Damon was quicker, wrapping both arms around her waist and despite her struggling, easily walked over and dropped her into the pool, clothes and all. Underwater she could hear them busting up.

The dunk was something they had come up with a million summers ago. It was probably Jeremy's idea. Elena hated it, despite it being one of the only times she was included in their fun. She hated how it made her feel like utterly powerless, and how it reminded her she was an outsider, too weak to fight them all, all because she was a girl.

She used to cry about it, and run to Elizabeth and her parents or Aunt, but it never did her any good. The boys just accused her of being a baby and a tattletale. Not this time though. This time she'll be a good sport and will just laugh about. Maybe that will take away some of their stupid joy.

When she came to the surface she frowned at them.

"I think you twisted my ankle Damon." She pretended to have trouble swimming. He stepped closer to the edge cautiously. He surveyed her.

"I'm pretty sure you'll live", he smirked.

"At least help me out", Elena demanded. When Damon reached down to grab her outreached hand, she gripped him hard and pushed her legs against the edge of the pool, pulling him in with a force even he couldn't stop. The sight of him landing in the pool with a big splash had her laughing harder than she's ever laughed in her life. So were Stefan and Jeremy.

The second Damon reached the surface he swam over to her. For a second Elena was worried he was mad, but he wasn't, not completely. He was smiling at her, but in a threatening way that had her dodging away from him.

"Can't catch me!" She teased gleefully. Every time he came close, she'd swim away.

"Too slow!" She called out. The noise of a door slamming had her turning around to see Stefan and Jeremy making a run for it. In her moment of distraction, Damon made another grab for her and he caught her foot.

"Too slow huh?" he grinned triumphantly. He pulled her closer. His t-shirt was soaked through and she could see the hard outline of his shoulders and upper chest. She swallowed as her eyes caught his. Everything seemed to go still. His hand was still on her foot but it was edging up.

"Let go", Elena tried to sound strong but it came out shaky and breathless. He just pulled her closer, until their bodies were pressed up against each other.

"Damon let go". She didn't mean it, but the silence was beginning to make her feel dizzy and nervous.

One last smirk and he did, pushing her under the water unexpectedly. It didn't matter. She was already holding her breath.

Later in bed, as Elena slowly drifted to sleep, Elizabeth's words from earlier echoed in her head.

"_This will be a summer you'll never forget"_

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**Thanks for reading guys!****Now, please click that little review button and let me know your thoughts! :)**


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